Andrej Kramaric scored late on to spare Croatia's blushes and give them victory over the world's 108th-ranked side Azerbaijan in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier.
The striker slotted in with 11 minutes left to complete the home side's comeback after they had fallen behind.
Ramil Seydaev's fine finish had given the visitors a 19th-minute lead.
Borna Barisic levelled for the 2018 World Cup finalists, who had 74% of possession and 21 shots in the game.
Croatia were joined at the top of Group E by Slovakia thanks to their 2-0 victory over Hungary.
Ondrej Duda scored the opening goal for Pavel Hapal's side three minutes before half-time and Albert Rusnak made sure of the win with the second in the 84th minute.